


The Soft Side of Brooklyn

by AddyEZ



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Crying, Davey gets His Mind Blown, F/M, Gen, Hugs, Little Newsies, M/M, Nightmares, Soft! Spot Conlon, craziness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-18 19:24:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19341037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AddyEZ/pseuds/AddyEZ
Summary: Davey was nervous about having to go into the ominous Brooklyn Lodging House to discuss union business with Spot Conlon. What he saw, however, was not what he expected.





	The Soft Side of Brooklyn

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, so I saw this Tumblr post: https://nerdsies.tumblr.com/post/185787844218/can-this-fandom-as-a-whole-give-spot-more and I totally had to write it. So enjoy!

Davey shifted back and forth anxiously. Jack told him that one of the Brooklyn newsies, Hotshot, was supposed to meet him on this side of the bridge to show him to the Brooklyn Lodging House. 

Davey knew Jack was happy the strike was over, happy Crutchie was safe, happy to be with Katherine and was ready to move on. But Davey knew they had to keep the union strong and the best way to do that was to have meetings. Davey was thinking they should have a meeting every month for the leaders’ and their seconds and every year a big meeting including all the newsies, more frequently if there were big issues to be discussed. 

So Davey explained the plan to Jack, and he had agreed and they planned on going to meet with Spot to get the ball rolling. But then Crutchie got sick, a result from the Refuge, and Jack needed to stay with him. Then Racetrack, the newsie who was closest to Brooklyn, got in a fight and wasn’t strong enough to make the walk from Manhattan to Brooklyn, which took a good three hours. So that left Davey, who left as soon as he finished selling for the day (he couldn’t let his family starve) left for Brooklyn. He still arrived at the Brooklyn Bridge near eight o clock. 

“Hey, Walking Mouth!” Cocky newsie Hotshot waltzed up to Davey. After a quick spit shake, Hotshot lead Davey back to the Lodging House. They had small talk, nothing about the union but about life after the strike, bulls and scabs giving them troubles, and an arrangement was made for Davey to stay the night in Brooklyn (pending Spot’s approval).

Soon they paused in front of the Lodging House and Hotshot headed off. He apparently had something else he had to do that night, some poker match… 

Bracing himself for intimidation, Davey opened the door. 

And. Was. Shocked.

Because there was Spot freaking Conlon, leader of Brooklyn, toughest newsie in New York, tickling a little newsie with another draped on his back and two on his legs. 

The Brooklyn Lodging House was similar to the Manhattan one, the ground floor with a big open room with tables and a few ratty couches against the wall and an old kitchen in the back. Up the stairs would be another huge bunk room with a small bathroom off of it. 

Spot turned away from the newsie he had been tickling and with big, exaggerated steps that made the newsies on his legs shriek and giggle he gently tossed the newsie on his back onto the couch causing him to laugh. Another little kid yelled Spot’s name before jumping into his arms from a table. “Hey, Ellis, what’d I tell you about jumping offa tables?” Spot asked, poking the skinny kid in the stomach. 

“To not to!” the kid giggles back as Spot laughed along and tossed him onto the couch as well. Then Spot finally turned and finally saw Davey. 

He shot Davey an apologetic grin before turning towards the newsies. “Hey!” he yelled, his voice commanding, but not threatening. “All of you’s need ta calm down. I’se gotta guest, Davey from ’Hatten is here and if you all go up and get in your bunks nicely he’ll come say good night.” 

With a clamor, all the littles, probably close to fifteen of them ran up the stairs, pushing and shoving and screaming all the way.

“Sorry about that,” Spot said bashfully as the did a spit shake. “Ev’ry so often my older boys go play poker with the dock workers and I’se get stuck babysitting the littles. We get a little rowdy.”

“Not a problem,” Davey replies amiably as they sat down at one of the rough tables scattered around the room. “I have a little brother and I can barely imagine getting him to bed that fast. I can’t imagine being in charge of that many. How old are they?”

“I have thirteen tonight I think, oldest is ten, youngest is almost five. Once they turn eleven I let them tag along to poker night, they’se just ain’t allowed to play and whoever is in charge of ’em ain’t allowed ta drink. They can play when they is fourteen.” Spot spoke as if he was a proud mother. He leaned forward slightly, “So what can I do for ya, Mouth?” 

Davey briefly explained the plan as Spot nodded his approval. He said he wanted the schedule in writing, signed, and distributed to the other neighborhoods to which Davey agreed (he was actually impressed by the idea).

Spot then stood up and beckoned to Davey, “C’mon, I’se got a promise to keep.” 

They went up the stairs quietly and into a darkened bunk room. A few newsies were still sitting up, and they waved to Davey whispering their good nights. Davey waved good night back and glanced at Spot. Spot was walking around to each newsie and tucked their blanket closer around them, brushed bangs out of their eyes and gave them hugs. There were a few he didn’t touch however, more fidgety ones that had clothes that hung off their too-skinny frames. Kids that had just been rescued from the Refuge. He whispered reassurances to them and occasionally they’d give him a small smile in return.

Spot then entered a small room in the corner and came out with two blankets and gestured for Davey to head downstairs.

“How has it been?” Davey asked once they got downstairs. “With your Refuge kids.”

After all the kids in the Refuge had been released, the newsies bonded together to make sure everyone belonged somewhere. Kids were escorted back home, guided to friends’ houses, and plenty were adopted into different newsies boroughs (thank goodness for Medda who let the kids stay in her theater while the newsies found places for them to go). The Bronx actually took the most kids under its wing, almost ten (Smalls had a soft spot for kids), Manhattan took five and Brooklyn took three. 

“It’s rough,” Spot admitted. “I mean, with the shit they went through and then being thrown into a borough that’s called the toughest in New York with a bunch of strangers… it’ll rattle any kid.”

Davey nodded. “Jack’s been trying to work more with our kids, but it’s hard, he’s got a lot going on right now.”

Spot snorted, tossing Davey a blanket. “I’ll say.” After a second's hesitation, Spot said, “I know Brooklyn got some flack thrown at us for only takin’ three kids, but the parents here, in this borough, usually ain’t the best. We pull a kid outa a bad home almost every week and either find them a new home or keep them here with us. It drains everyone, but we can’t stop doing that. And we wouldn’t be able to keep doing that if we got ten Refuge kids here. That’s why I’se only took a few-”

“Spot,” Davey interrupted gently. “I get it. I think it’s great what you’re doing over here.”

Spot gave a short nod. “Also, about the strike.” He looked at Davey with a hard resolve in his eyes. “I don’t regret joining when I did. You ’Hatten boys are all older, can take a hit. Most of my kids can’t and the ones that can shouldn’t be able to. So I’se protect my boys first, and that’s final.” 

Davey nodded, offering a spit shake as an agreement. He understood. He was skeptical at first too.

Spot smirked before gesturing to one of the couches. “You can spend the night there,” he said shortly. “The boys come in the back from the poker game, they won’t wake you. I’ll be sleeping down here too, so if ya need anything, wake me up. You can leave when morning comes, you don’t gotta stick around or nothin.”

Davey nodded in understanding before settling in on his couch. Spot crossed the room fell asleep there on another couch. Davey bit his lip thinking about his first night away from home, but reassured himself he would be fine. Slowly, he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 

“Spot? Spot!”

Davey jerked awake as he heard a small voice crying. Without moving he opened his eyes and saw a little kid hanging on the railing at the stairs, tears pouring down his face. Spot sat up in bed, immediately focusing on the kid. “Frankie?” Spot whispered. “Kid, what’s wrong?”

The kid was practically hyperventilating. “I- I had a nightmare and I woke up and I went to your room but you weren’t there! I thought- I thought-”

“Frankie,” Spot interrupted softly. “I ain’t gonna leave you. I’se ain’t your folks.”

The kid who couldn’t be more than five trembled and Davey saw it across the room. “It was about the Refuge. And I woke up and I couldn’t find you and the room was dark and I couldn’t see no one’s faces and I thought I was back there and-”

“Can you come here so I can give you a hug, Frankie, or is this a no touch night?” Spot said gently, pushing aside his blanket and sitting up so his full attention was on Frankie.

With a sob, Frankie ran towards Spot and launched into his chest. Spot wrapped his arms around him and rocked the sobbing child as if he were a baby. “I’m here, Frankie,” he’s whisper softly, periodically. 

Davey dozed back off to the sound of fading cries and murmured reassurances.

* * *

 

That morning, Davey left just as the sun was rising, before anyone else woke up. He smiled seeing Spot and Frankie cuddling, tear tracks dried away. 

That evening, Jack, Race and Davey were chatting and Davey ranted about his surprise about how Spot acted.

“Like, he was sweet? And really good with kids?” Davey sputtered.

Racetrack just laughed. “Well duh, ya moron,” he cackled. “Why else would I’se be dating him?” 

With that, Race limped out of the room as Davey’s mind was blown.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this fic! If you have any polite constructive criticism I’m open to it but be nice, it’s my birthday! Please leave reviews and kudos!!!


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